With February 14 almost here, which dessert wine types are the best for Valentine’s Day? When it comes to Valentine’s Day many people feel the pressure to do more than the previous year and add in the pressure of which dessert wine types are the best for the occasion it can be stressful. With so many things to consider, especially if this Is your first Valentine’s day together coming up with the perfect dessert wine types for the occasion doesn’t have to be difficult.  Or maybe it’s not about the holiday itself and you’re like I am and you just like chocolate and wine which wine is the perfect one to make the chocolate even sweeter.  No matter the case I am here to help you pick the perfect dessert wine types and which beautiful desserts options to pair with them that is sure to make this a February 14 to remember.

The nice thing about these two recipes is that they have very little prep time and are easy to make! The first is a wine-infused chocolate sauce. I chose to pair the sauce with pound cake cubes and fresh strawberries! YUM!

Chocolate Wine Sauce and

Late Harvest Wine

To make the Chocolate Wine Sauce You Will Need:

1 cup of red wine, such as Merlot or Pinot Noir
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 cinnamon stick
1-star anise
2 cups bittersweet chocolate, chopped or chips

Simmer everything minus chocolate for 5 mins and then add chocolate and stir until smooth. Then you are done! I made kabobs with strawberries and pound cake, the husband LOVED these! He went back to the saucepan later adding it to the Vanilla Bean ice cream we had and said it was just as delicious!

I used Pinot Noir for my sauce, mainly because that is what I had on hand and in Sonoma County, Pinot is very easy to come by. But if you have a favorite rich red wine use what you have! For the wine I selected late harvest Vignoles, typically from grapes harvested after the first frost of the fall. This is a very rich wine and thicker than a normal Vignoles. There is a higher sugar count in the late harvest and makes for a treat for those who prefer a sweeter wine!

Buttermilk Lemon Mini Pie & Fume Blanc

I love the look of this, it is just big enough to share or if you want to splurge you can make one for each of your guests or sweethearts! For a full-size pie, you will need.

You will need:

1 unbaked pie crust

1.5 cups sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup buttermilk

3 tbsp Meyer lemon juice

1 tbsp Meyer lemon zest

1/4 cup flour

Set oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl combine sugar, melted butter, eggs, vanilla bean, salt, buttermilk, Meyer Lemon Juice, and Meyer Lemon Zest. Add the flour and whisk until smooth. Bake in the oven for 1 hour (60 mins) until the center is not runny but jiggles. Let cool for at least 45 mins. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Top with whipped cream and garnish with a raspberry! You can make mini-pies with a large cupcake pan just reduce the baking time.

The wine is a Fume Blanc but if you are in the south or mid-west a lovely Riesling paired with it will give you a Margarita kind of flavor! The pie is delicious and I loved being able to use Meyer lemons from my own lemon tree to make this! Totally easy to make and so good to eat!!! What are your favorite pairings when it comes to dessert wine types?